Today marks EAST 15th Commencement. We had 9 graduates who received their certificates on 9 May 2009 but more than just a piece of paper, they have been commissioned to further God's kingdom work. Lisa, Han Gyu, Eunice, Barnabas, Rina, Siew Kim, James Kang, James Chua and Sang Hyuk all faithfully persevered in their studies at EAST for the past few years, learning more about the God they love so that they can not merely serve Him better but have a closer walk with Him and through that close walk, draw many more into the Kingdom - draw those who are lost, those who are in danger of falling away and keep spurring one another on in this walk of faith and life.

Congratulations, my dear brothers and sisters on your commencement!

The passage below is from Chapter 6, Integrity and Self-Acceptance, p115-117, of Brennan Manning's A Glimpse of Jesus - The Stranger to Self-Hatred. I'm quoting it in full because I appreciate the questions asked and the thoughts shared.

"A fellow Franciscan once challenged me with a set of questions:

Do you ever reflect upon the fact that Jesus feels proud of you? Proud that you accepted the faith which he offered you? Proud that after he chose you, you chose him for a friend and Lord? Proud that you haven't given up? Proud that you believe in him enough to try again and again? Proud that you trust that he can help you? Do you ever think that Jesus appreciates you for wanting him, for wanting to say no to so many things that would separate you from him? Do you ever think that Jesus is grateful to you for pausing to smile and comfort one of his children who has a great need to see a smile, to feel a touch? Do you ever think of Jesus being grateful to you for learning more about him so that you can speak to others more deeply and truly about him? Do you ever think that Jesus can be angry or disappointed in you for not believing that he has forgiven you totally?

Jesus said, "I do not call you servants, but friends..." Therefore, there is the possibility of every feeling and emotion which can exist between friends to exist here and now between Jesus and you.

A wise man once said that a truly intelligent person is one who has learned to be happy with him/herself. The secret of self-acceptance, often hidden from the wise and clever, the Ph. D's and powerbrokers of this world, is the way of integrity born of fidelity to the dream. If we are comfortable with ourselves, a newfound freedom blossoms. And so, the uncomfortable questions: "Am I free? If not, why not? The familiar words of the Serenity Prayer - "God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference" - provoke the questions, "What is not working in my life? What am I afraid of losing? What is robbing me of inner peace? What attitude, behavioural pattern, or disordered relationship is making me frightened of the face in the mirror? Do I have the courage to change the things I can?" The mere willingness to confront the questions often unlocks the door to self-acceptance.

When we accept ourselves for what we are, we cease to hunger for power or acceptance of others because our self-intimacy re-inforces our sense of security. We are no longer preoccupied with being powerful or popular. We no longer fear criticism or contradiction because we accept the reality of human limitations: integrated, we are no longer plagued with the desire to please others because simply being true to ourselves brings lasting inner peace. We accept our feelings as part of ourselves. We appreciate and listen to them. Accepting our feelings allows us to choose appropriate behaviour patterns that are beneficial to ourselves and others. Personality integration allows us to enjoy life responsibly and to discover the particular meaning of our particular lives. We are grateful for our lives and we deeply appreciate and love ourselves."

That last paragraph above is a quote by Manning from Matthew Fox, "A Sprituality Named Compassion and the Healing of the Global Village, Humpty Dumpty, and Us (New York:HarperCollins Publishers, 1979), p.17.

p.104 "The dream of Jesus Christ is the Kingdom of God, and the committed Christian buys into his dream."

p.114 "the dream is not a way of thinking or a way of speaking but a way of living."

Thanks to my brother, my old pc has been transformed/upgraded to the world's smallest desktop PC that cost an economical price of S$439 with a free keyboard, mouse and a trend internet security package thrown in. It's an ASUS Eee Box B202. I haven't blogged for a while partly because of the demise of my old pc, the preoccupation with other social networking sites like facebook and twitter as well as the fact that December is usually quite a crazy month of activities.





That black box sandwiched between the monitor and the white wireless router is my new desktop PC!

Hopefully, this will last me for a few more years before it completely gives way...